Controlling mechanism for motor-vehicles.



, CQG'HMIDT( l GONTROLLING MEGHANISM FOB. MOTOR VEHIC LES.

APPLICATION FILED 00T.12,1.905.

' Patented .111116 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

c. SCHMIDT. i A GONTBOLLING MEOHANISLI FOB MOTOR VEHGLBS.

Immunol nn 0012.12, 1905. f

- Patented June 6,1911.

. I v Y L- l1 l y l 431g y which,

50 hold the arm in any desired i STATES PArE-NT OFFICE.

CHARLES SCHMIDT, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, .ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO

e PACKARD MOTOR MICHIGAN.

CAR COMPANY, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF CONTROLLING- MECHANISM FOR `MOEl.'OIR-VEB:ICHZFES.

specification of Letters raten. Patented June 6, 1911.

Application Aled October 12, 1905. Serial No. 282,512.

To allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES SCHMIDT, a citizen of the Republic of France, and resident of Cleveland, Cuyahoga county, State 5 'of' Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Controlling Mecha# tion with thefacconipanying drawings, in

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through the stetring columnA or shaft of 'a' motor vehicle provided `with my invention; Fig. 2 is la section on the line 2-.2 of Fig.

1; F ig.'3 is similar` to a portion of Fig. 1, but showing the parts in another posltlon, Fig. 4 is a plan view of the change 'speed lever; and Figsg and 6 are details.

Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates the 'steering shaft of a motor vehicle, the` upper end of which is provided with the usual steering handle 2 andthe lower end of which is connected by suitable gearing with the steering wheels. This connection d oes not form a part of the present invention and need not bereferred to in detail. p

I arrange convenientlyabout the steering shaft the levers or handlesfor controlling the change-speed gears, vthe throttle, the

spark, and the revers`e`\gear. he changespeed gears areadj usted by meant of an arm 3 carried at the lower end of a hollowshaft 4 surrounding the steering shaft Ll At the upper end of the shaft 4 is a controlling arm 5 provided with a handle e. Th hollow shaft 4 has a bearing in a bracket 7 vwhich isvsecured to the dash board 8 of thevehicle. On the' bracket 7 is a sector 9 havinglnotches 10, 11,*12, 13, corresponding to the positions of the arm 5 for the severalV speedsland the neutral position, in whibllthe gearsvare disconnected. As" shownip Eggs, 11", 3 and 5, the arm l5 is provided 'th a roller 14 adapted to coperate witlithe notches to position. .The arm is suicientl flexible to permit thev roller to ride frolii one notch to the other.

, In the bracket `7 adjacent to the, sectorv 9 is a pocket 15,' in which there is avertically movablel piliolrl plunger 16., fllhe upper end .with the pin. The reversing lever 19 is `of the pin is adapted toenter a socket 17 in the arm 5, while the lower end is adapted to enter an opening 18 in the arm 19 which operates the reverse gear. A spring 2O surrounding the pin 16 tends normally to press said pin downwardly and into the opening 18 when said-opening registers' with the pin. The arm 5 is provided with wing-like guards 20, 21,'which prevent'the pin 16 from rising, excepting when -the opening 17 registers with it. Likewise the arm 19 is provided withl'a wing-like giiard 23, which prevents i the pln from dropping out of the socket 17 excepting .when the opening 18 registers provided with a handle 25 and with a small hand lever 26 having an up-turned pbint 27 adapted to pliss into the opening 18 to raise the pm 16. `The rm 19 is mounted on ahollow shaft 28 surounding the shaft 4 and the lower end of shaft 28 is provided with an arm 29 which is suitablyy connected with the backing gear for throwiilg the` same into land out of mesh, in the usual manner.

The operatlon of the parts Adescribed is as follows: The reverse lever /19 is normally held 1n lts neutral position, illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, by means o /the pin 16 and the change-speed arm 5 is, normally free to be moved to shiftthe gears for different speeds. When it is desired to reverse the direction of the vehicle by throwing in the backing gear, the change-speed lever 5 must first be brought to its neutral position, illustrated in Figs. 1 and The arms or levers 5 and 19 being both in neutral position, the pin 16 may be raised by the lever 26 to en'- ,Q gage it with the arm 5 and free it from thb i' arm 19. The reverse arm 19 may then'fbe''- y turned tothrow in the backing gear and the 9,5" slow speed gear, and when so turned Aits guard 23 prevents ,the pin 16 from releasing the arm 5. It will be-evident that the arms 5 and 19 are so interlocked that each must be locked in'neutral position while the other is operative. In Figs. Sand 6, thei'gua'rds 20, 21 and 23 and the sector 9 are shown in side view. It will be observed that" the sector has prol jection's 30 at its ends td limit the move- 105 ment of the arm .5 and that the guard 23 has projections 31 tolimitthe movement of the arm 19'. In Fig. 6 the arm 5 is shown lpcked in neutral position and the arm 19 in the position in which the reverse gear 11" isoperating. In this 'figure also a tooth 2, 33 .'ndicates trol the throttle of the motor. This armis fixed on a shaft 34 and adjusted by means of a handle 35 on the upper end of said shaft. The handle 35 is arranged to engage a toothed segment 3o, whereby it may e automatically locked in any desired posltion, the sector being formed on an arm 37 vof the bracket 7. Adjacent to the arm 33 is an arm 38 for controlling the spark. This arm is mounted on a hollow shaft 39, upon the upper end of which is an operating arm'40 which engages teeth on the under surface of the sector 36. v

It will be seen thatthe four operating levers are very conveniently located about the steering shaft near its handle. They are all mounted upon a common bracket,

which bracket also serves to support the dashboard and the steering shaft.

.-. Having described my invention what I 'claim and desire to secure by Letters Iatentis,

1. In a motor vehicle, the combination with a iixed bracket, of two levers arranged on opposite sides of the bracket, a part carried by the bracket and adapted to interlock with each lever, and means for normally holdin of sai levers, whereby the normally free.

2. In a motor vehicle, the combination with a iixed bracket, of two levers arranged on opposite. sides of the bracket, a part carried by the bracket and adapted to interlock with each lever, one of said levers and movable independently thereof for shifting safid interlocking part.

said part in engagement with one other -lever is Copies of this patent may be obtained for and moans carried by.

ve cents each, by addressing the 'n 3. In. a motor vehicle, the combination with a fixed bracket, of two levers arranged' on opposite sides of the bracket, a part carried by the bracket and adapted to'interlock with each lever, a spring for moving said interlocking part normally toward one of said levers, and means for shifting said part positively against the tension of the spring to release said lever.

4. In a motor vehicle, the combination with a iXed bracket and a steering shaft having a bearing in fsaid bracket, "of two arms arranged respectivel above and be low said bracket and a apted to swing around said steering shaft, a part movably mounted in said bracket and adapted to n interlock witheither of said arms when the or neutral position,

latter are in a middle a springfor normally pressing said part toward one of said arms, by the last mentioned arm for releasing it from the said interlocking part.

5. In a motor vehicle, the combination of two movable arms for shifting respectively the change-speed gears and the backing gear, a fixed part or bracket between said arms, a movable partmounted .in said bracket and adapted to engage with either of said arms when in their neutral position,

a spring for normally pressing said part into engagement with the arm for operating the backing gear, and means for yieldingly holding the arm for shifting the changespeed gears in any one of several positions.

In testimony whereof I have signed my naine to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLESv SCHMIDT.

Witnesses:

H. R. SULLIVAN, W. L. MGGARRELL.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

and means carried 

